5 Complex Sci-Fi Shows That Are Totally Worth The Headache, With A Combined 181 Episodes (& Counting)

The sci-fi genre is one of the most consistently popular in entertainment, but sometimes, its stories are a little complex. While science fiction predates television by several decades, the genre has come into its own on the small screen. There have been many iconic sci-fi shows over the years, many of which have helped develop and popularize subgenres, establishing major fanbases for themselves in the process. The continued popularity of science fiction with TV audiences means that new shows are regularly released in the genre, spanning a large variety of narrative ideas. However, with science at the core of most of its stories, sci-fi has given us many complicated shows over the years.

Each of the following sci-fi shows makes use of tropes or narrative devices that make them particularly difficult to make sense of. Despite being incredibly complex in their own unique ways, these shows are all exceptional in their own right, making them well worth delving into for fans of the genre. While their stories might be pretty complex in many ways, they’re more than worth spending a little time to puzzle them out, because their quality makes them well worth the headache.

5) Fringe

Fringe is often considered a masterpiece sci-fi TV show, and boasts a considerable following even years after its run concluded. It follows the members of a newly formed division of the FBI that uses fringe science to investigate unexplained phenomena, later revealed to be connected to the existence of a parallel universe. Part of Fringe‘s brilliance is that it takes a procedural format and slowly applies multiple layers of sci-fi, resulting in a show that builds in complexity as it goes. Its use of advanced scientific methods to explore the supernatural and otherworldly is engaging, but the implications of many of the team’s discoveries ultimately make the show’s mythos pretty complicated. While Fringe features many complex ideas, it expertly weaves them into a single sci-fi tapestry, and that’s the key to its brilliance. It doesn’t immediately expect viewers to grasp complex ideas, but rather slowly develops them, making it a complicated but ultimately incredibly rewarding watch.

4) Devs

Devs is a perfect example of a great TV show that not enough people watched. The sci-fi thriller miniseries was created, written, and directed by Alex Garland, and tells the story of a software engineer for a quantum computing company who finds herself wrapped up in the mysterious death of her boyfriend. Devs‘ complexity lies in its core premise and narrative themes, as the series explores the idea of determinism and how quantum computing could effectively dispel free will as nothing more than a myth. By using science fiction as a platform from which to explore deep and incredibly thought-provoking philosophical ideas, Devs makes itself a pretty complicated show. Engaging with the series requires applying more than a little brainpower to unravel its story and the implications of its plot points, as quantum mechanics is used throughout as a key part of the show’s narrative. While Devs certainly isn’t a simple sci-fi show, it’s an incredible watch for fans of the genre.

3) The Leftovers

The 21st century has already seen the release of many great post-apocalyptic TV shows, but The Leftovers is one of the most criminally overlooked. While its sci-fi ideas border on being supernatural, its general premise concerns the Sudden Departure, an event in which 2% of the world’s population inexplicably disappeared, and follows various survivors and their families as they navigate life in the aftermath of the Sudden Departure. The complexity of The Leftovers stems from its refusal to explain the mechanics of the Departure. Instead, its characters are forced to contend with the looming threat of the unknown, making it equal parts philosophical and psychological. The Leftovers isn’t science fiction in the traditional sense, but that’s actually a crucial part of its complex nature. Truly understanding The Leftovers and its themes isn’t as simple as it might seem, but the narrative depth of the show and its characters make it well worth spending a little time to fully delve into.

2) Dark

There are some sci-fi shows so smart you have to watch them twice. Netflix’s Dark is a perfect example of this phenomenon, because its story is so narratively rich and intertwines so many different threads that it’s almost impossible to pick it all apart in a single viewing. The German sci-fi mystery thriller series concerns several families in a small town who uncover a sinister time-travel conspiracy in the wake of a child’s disappearance. The premise itself sounds somewhat complicated, but the sci-fi tropes and ideas the series explores take it to a whole new level. Time travel gives way to Dark exploring matters like causality loops, constantly shifting narratives as a result of the past being changed, and several seemingly separate stories that are actually inherently connected by its narrative structure. It’s a mind-bending show in many ways, but that’s a huge part of its appeal, making Dark well worth the sci-fi headache it induces at first glance.

1) Severance

There aren’t many TV shows like Severance. Its story is based around a relatively simple premise: employees at Lumon Industries have had their memories split between work and personal life, effectively creating two distinct identities for each character. The show explores the story of its characters’ “innies”, who have no knowledge of their life outside of work, and “outies”, who have no knowledge of their job, and how that affects their lives and relationships. While the show’s core premise is reasonably simple, it’s actually deceptively complex in the way it examines modern society and our approach to life. The notion of splitting consciousness by compartmentalizing memories makes for a fascinating hook, and it allows Severance to explore some incredibly interesting sci-fi themes. While it’s a show that stands out as complex in many ways, that very complexity is a key part of Severance‘s massive global success. If ever there was a sci-fi show worth taking the time to understand its deeper implications, it’s Severance.

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